Staff Reporter
A fuel adulteration racket was exposed by Rising People’s Party (RPP) at Gorapatti ward No 2 area here on Thursday.
Interacting with media persons, RPP president Joel Naga said upon receiving information about adulteration of fuel in the area, the party carried out a surprise check and caught the culprits red-handed while they were in the act. He alleged that though the police was informed, no response was received from them.
Referring to the modus operandi of the culprits, he alleged that oil tankers from Assam entered the mixing unit before going to fuel stations. He said around 4,000 litre of fuel were taken out from an oil tanker with a capacity of around 18,000 litre and kerosene was mixed into the remaining amount.
He alleged that the main person running the adulteration business owned 46 fuel stations all over the State.
Joel said that RPP would not file an FIR as the party’s sole purpose was to expose the adulteration of fuel with evidence and educate Naga public on the issue. “We will not leave the matter to the police. If they are serious in the case, let them file suo moto case,” he stated.
During the raid, three individuals were caught red-handed as they were mixing petrol with kerosene from the mixing unit, which according to papers was a garage, while others managed to escape.
On being questioned, the trio replied that they were just obeying instructions from higher-ups, while one confirmed mixing a chemical into kerosene. He explained that the chemical was mixed in the kerosene to change the fuel’s colour to white for the purpose of mixing it with petrol.
He claimed that, as per sources, the State government received around 4,80,000 litre of kerosene every month as part of the State quota, of which he alleged that four lakh litre went to certain individuals use it for fuel adulteration. He claimed that Food & Civil Supply (F&CS) adviser, director and Dimapur Police were aware of the racket.
Mentioning that the adulteration was being carried out in broad daylight, Joel further alleged that, as per sources, Naga political groups, civil society organisations (CSOs), student bodies, etc, were also indirectly involved in the racket as they collected tax and received their share from the racketeers. He however refused to name any group or organisation.
“Basically, the adulteration racket is like the goose that lays golden eggs and is being run with impunity because everybody has a share,” he mentioned.
Mentioning that he was unaware how much the groups were collecting from the racketeers, he however affirmed that the party had proof. “We will reveal the names at the right time,” he assured.
The fuel adulteration site was not new as ACAUT had already exposed the adulteration process in 2016, following which a court case was still underway.
Joel alleged that the same people (accused in 2016 case) were involved in the racket.
Meanwhile, Gorapatti area council member Joseph informed that the alleged mixing unit was known to people in the area as a garage where wielding works were carried out. He assured that the council would take stern action against the individuals involved.
When asked about the garage’s owner, he said it belonged to one Srikant.